Teeeitoey



(No Model.)

J. HENRY.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN WBIGHER. No. 883,126. I Patented May 22, 1888.

tlNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

JOHN HENRY, OF ARDOOH, DAKOTA TERRITORY, ASSIGNOB OF TlVO-THIRDS TO JOHN GEORGE NEILSON AND VILLIAM T. SHEPARD, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATlC GRAlN-WEiGHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,126, dated May 22, 1888,

Application filed September 20, 1887. Serial No. 250,191. (No model.)

To all 2072,0722, it may concern: Like letters designate corresponding parts Be it known that I, JOEN HENRY, a citizen in all of the figures. of the United States, residing at Ardoch, in The receiver A is made substantially hopthe county of \Valsh and Territory of Dakota, per-shaped in form, having two of its oppohave invented certain new and useful Improvesite sides vertical, and the other two sides ments in Automatic Grain-Weighers; and I sloped downwardly and inwardly and meeting do declare the following to be a full, clear, and each other at an angle, forming the bottom of exact description of theinvention, such as will the receiver V-shaped in erosssection. One enable others skilled in the art to which it apof these sloping sides of the receiver is hinged IO pertains to make and use the same, reference at its upper edge to theadjacent parts of the being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and receiver, so as to swing outwardly upon pressto the letters and figures of reference marked ure from within, thus forming a disoharge-ap thereon, which formapart of this specification. erture for the receiver and a valve for closing This invention relates to apparatus for weighthe same.

1 ing grain in the course of its discharge from The receiver A is pivotally suspended beelevators or other receptacles; and it consists, tween the two arms ca of a forked scale-beam, in general, of a hopper-shaped receiver pivot- B, and balanced thereon by means of gudgeons ally suspended between the two arms of a b b, secured to the sides of the receiver. It forked scalebeam, the receiver having a dismay be still further supported from lateral 20 charge-aperture normally closed by a hinged movement, and thus retained always in a vervalve actuated in o enin b the wei ht of tical )osition.by means of two su )plementar I 7 p a y a: l l y the contents of the receiver, and in closing by arms, 0 0, parallel to the scale-beam and cona counterbalance-weight, the said valve being neeted with the receiver and the framework retained in its closed position by acatch formed of the apparatus by means of pivots or gud- 2 upon the end of a bell'crank lever pivotally geonsdaloeated vertically underneaththesup- 7 mounted upon the receiver, which is autoporting-gudgeons b b of the receiver and the inaticall y tripped to release the catch, and fulcrum fof the scale-beam, respectively. thus open the discharge aperture; also, in the The scale-beam is provided with the usual means for automatically actuating the cut off graduated scale and weight, and is so arranged 0 of the supply-spout when it is desired to disin reference to its fulcrum that when the recontinue the supply of grain to the receiver. oeiver is empty its weight shall be exactly baltfgfThe particular construction and arrange anced by the scale-weight at the zero-point of ment of the various parts will be hereinafter the scale. The fulcrum ofthescalebeam forms particularly shown and described. the vertical support of the entire apparatus,

5 The invention is especially designed to be and is so located that the receiver is just unused in connection with the discharge-spout derneath the supply-spout from the elevator of an elevator, though it may be equally well or other receptacle. used in any position where it is desired to au- The hinged valve G is provided with a coun tomaticall y weigh grain in process of delivery tor-balance, 9', consisting of an arm, h, attached AC) from a spout or other means of conveyance. thereto, and provided with a weight, z, longi- 0 It is fully illustrated and described in the drawtudinallyadj ustable along the arm. The counings, in whichter-balance is so arranged as to close the valve Figure l is a side view of the weighing ap- O by its weight after the contents of the re paratus in position for. receiving the grain, ceiver are discharged.

5 and also showing its connection with the out To retain the valve O in position to close 5 off in the supply-spout and with the registerthe discharge aperature of the receiver, a ing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a similar view showeatch,j, is formed on the end of a bell-crank 1e ing the apparatus in position for discharging ver, D, pivotally attached to the fixed side of the contents of the receiver, and Fig. 2- is a top the receiver opposite to the valve 0, the outer 50 view of the same. arm, k, of which is constructed of sufficient 10G weight to act as a counter-balance to the other end of ,the lever in order to automatically close the end of the catch j, which is opened by the valve 0 striking its sloping outer edge and being carried along by the action of the counter balance 9 until fully engaged and locked in position by the weight of the outer arm, k. y

In order to release the catch to allow the valve to open for the purpose of discharging the contents of the receiver, a stop, Z, is at tached to the frame-work in such a position as to trip the lever D, when the receiver descends, thus opening the catch, releasing the valve, which is opened by the pressure of the grain in the receiver.

The operation of the mechanism as thus far described is as follows: The scale-weight being set at the required point-as, for instance, sixty-pounds-the grain is allowed to be discharged from the supplyspout into the receiver A. When asufficient quantity of grain has entered the receiver to overbalance the scale-weight, in this instance sixty pounds, the scale-beam trips and the receiver descends. In its descent the lever D is tripped by its outer end, k, coming in contact with the stop Z, the catch j is released from its hold upon the valve 0, allowing the contents of the receiver to be discharged. The pressure on the inside of the valve being removed, it is returned to its former closed position by the counter-balance,is engaged by the catch j, actuated by the weight of the arm 7c of the lever D, while the scale-weight overbalancing the empty receiver restores the parts to their first position.

It is, however, necessary to provide means for cutting off the discharge-grain from the supply-spout when the required quantity of grain has entered the receiver and is about to be discharged therefrom. For this purpose the supply-spout may be provided with a cutoff of any approved form. I have shown a cut-off slide, m, attached to arms n, one on each side of the supply-spout, and pivoted to the spout at the ends of the arms, so as to allow the slide to swing over the mouth of the spout. The cutoff itself forms no part of my present invention. Attached to the receiver is an upwardly-extending tappet-arm, 0, which is in position to engage with a pin or arm,p,attached to some convenient point upon one of the arms a of the cut-off. The upward'movement of the receiver after its contents are discharged causes this tappet 0 to touch the pin or arm 19 on the cut-off, raising the same and thereby raising the cut-off slide and opening the mouth of the supply-pipe. When the receiver descends, the pin is released from the tappet and the cut-off closes the mouth of the spout, preventing any discharge of grain until the empty receiver again ascends.

A register of any approved form may be placed upon the frame-work supporting the scale-beam in any place where it may be conveniently connected with the scale-beam. I have shown a pawl, q, attached to or in position to be moved by the beam, ata point between the fulcrum and the weight which en- 'gages with the register, so as to move the same with each return of the beam to its normal position after the contents of the receiver are discharged.

The entire construction of the abovedescribed apparatus is exceedingly simple and inexpensive,is wholly automatic,and performs its required functions in the most efficient and satisfactory manner.

I claim as my invention- In a grain-weigher, the forked scale-beam having fulcrum f, and weight WV, the receiver pivotally suspended between the arms thereof and provided with a counterweighted hinged valve, 0, closing the discharge-aperture of the receiver, the trip-lever D, pivotally mounted on the receiver, provided with catchj on one end, in position to engage with and retain the valve 0 when closed, and counterweighted opposite end, is, for closing said catch, stop 1, mounted upon the framework in position to engage with end k of lever D, to release said catch, in combination with a self-closing cutoff on the supply-spout, and the tappetarm 0 on the receiver, adapted to engage with pin 1) on said cut-off when the receiver is raised,and to release the same when the receiver is lowered, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN HENRY.

Witnesses:

CORNELIUS S. SEE, S. G. S. ROBERTS. 

